


He's a Coral Reef!

by gayguardian69



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Crying, M/M, apparently i like to make my characters cry, im sorry for this, sad ransom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 19:23:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7002190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gayguardian69/pseuds/gayguardian69
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ransoms life is a delicate and precarious balance. Holster knows this. He tries to help Ransom in whatever ways he possibly can. Sometimes, though, the balance is tipped a little and then everything gets messed up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's a Coral Reef!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for this lol ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Ransom is a coral reef.

Holster has been using that metaphor for a while now.

And it’s true.

Ransoms life is a delicate and precarious balance. Holster knows this. He tries to help Ransom in whatever ways he possibly can. Sometimes, though, the balance is tipped a little and then everything gets messed up.

It doesn’t happen often, in fact, it rarely ever happens. But when it does, it’s the absolute worst.

Holster has seen it first hand. A lot of crying, a lot of yelling, a lot of sad Ransom. It was terrible. Holster hated seeing Ransom that way, so he takes all the measures he can to stop it from happening again. 

It’s going good for a while. No incidents. 

And then it’s not.

It’s different this time, though. Ransom refuses to talk to Holster about what’s upsetting him. Actually, he barely talks to Holster at all.

Ransom just kind of sits in the attic or in the kitchen and studies. And cries. And then studies some more.

It’s driving Holster insane to see Rans like this.

This breakdown didn’t even start during finals week, like they usually did. No, Ransom started freaking out like two months in advance. It doesn’t help that Holster doesn’t know what’s going on because he can’t _help_ Rans. 

Ransom stopped asking Holster to help him study, stopped chilling in his bunk with him, stopped telling Holster what was going on.

Holster tried to reach out to him, he really did, but every goddamn time Holster would try to talk to him Rans would make up some excuse to leave the Haus. 

This morning in not any different. Except maybe that Holster barely slept and he’s a lot more angry than usual.

He goes downstairs and Ransom is in the kitchen. Studying, obviously. Holster debates going back upstairs for more sleep but Bittys cooking something that smells amazing and his stomach growls.

He sits next to Ransom, who doesn’t even look up from his textbook to see who it is. Holster is unsurprised.

“Mornin’, Holster!” Bitty is smiling at him, and Holster envies his happiness.

“Morning, Bitty.” Holster tries to sound at least a little cheerful when he says it, but apparently he’s not fooling anybody. Bitty turns and frowns at him.

“Are you okay?” He sounds worried and Holster wishes he could tell him what was wrong, but he doesn’t even know himself.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Just didn’t sleep well last night.” Holster waves him off, and Bitty looks like he wants to say something else but instead just frowns deeper and turns back to the stove.

Holster smacks his head down on the table and lets out a groan.

He feels Ransom shift next to him and close his text book.

“Hey, Holtzy. Are you okay?” Ransoms voice is a little hoarse and he sounds like he hasn’t slept in months. 

Holster lifts his head up and looks at Ransom for a moment. Maybe it’s because he didn’t sleep enough, maybe it’s because he’s just mad, maybe it’s because he’s hungry and overly emotional. He doesn’t know why he says it, but he does. He doesn’t answer Ransoms question. 

“Why don’t you ever talk to me anymore? Do you hate me, or something?” Rans swallows and turns back to his books. He starts gathering them up, and states that he’s heading to the library.

Holster lets out a snort and his head drops back onto the table. It’s whatever.

He hears the front door close a few moments later and his eyes start to water. It’s a stupid thing to cry over, probably. That doesn’t stop him though. He lets out a sob and he hears bitty setting something down.

Then there’s a hand rubbing his back and a soft southern voice asking if he’s okay.

He lets out another sob and Bitty leans in to wrap his arms around Holsters shoulders.

“It’s okay, Holster. You’re gonna be okay. Tell me what’s wrong, hun.” Bitty says quietly.

It takes a few moments for Holster to calm his breaths so he can speak properly.

“I don’t know what’s wrong! Ransom won’t talk to me, he doesn’t even want to be around me anymore. Whenever I try to talk to him he makes up an excuse and leaves…” Holster takes a moment to catch his breath. Bitty rubs his back.

“I don’t know what I did wrong, Bitty! He won’t tell me! I don’t want us to fight anymore, but I don’t know how to fix this. I’m scared, Bits.” Holster starts to cry again, and usually he’d be embarrassed but at the moment he can’t find the strength to care. He misses Ransom.

Bitty continues to rub his back soothingly.

“Everything is going to be okay, Holster. You guys are going to be okay. You need to go after him.”

Holster takes a few minutes to compose himself, then sits up and nods.

“You’re right.” He doesn’t want to crowd Ransom like this, but he’s sick of being ignored.

He goes upstairs to get changed, then starts his walk to the library. He doesn’t get very far, though, because as he’s passing the park he spots Ransom sitting on a bench. His head is in his hands and his books are just strewn about on the ground.

Holster walks over and picks them up for him, stacking them and setting them on the bench. He takes a seat next to Ransom and they just sit in silence for a bit. 

“I’m sorry, Adam.” Ransoms voice is muffled by his hands, but Holster hears it just the same.

“It’s okay.” Holster says it automatically.

“No, it isn’t. I’ve been a dick. Like, a gigantic dick. I’ve just… had some things going on. I’m sorry, Holtzy, I’m so so sorry.” Ransom finally lifts his head to look at him, and Holster sees the bags under his eyes and the red rims around them.

“It’s okay, Justin. I swear, it’s fine.” Holster can see the tears welling up in Ransoms eyes and he leans over to pull him into his arms.

“Tell me what’s wrong, buddy. I’m here for you. I’ll help in any way that I can.” Holster looks into Ransoms eyes as he says it, and Ransom swallows and looks down.

“I’m so sorry, Holster.” There are tears falling down his cheeks now, and Holster wishes it wouldn’t be weird to wipe them away.  
“It’s okay. Tell me what’s wrong, Justin.” Holster wants to help him. He wants Ransom to stop crying. He wants him to be okay.

Ransom sniffles, takes a deep breath, then turns to him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Rans, now what’s wrong?”

Ransom looks at him incredulously for a moment.

“No, bro. I, like, really actually love you. I am _in love_ with you, Holster.”

Holster stares at him. It takes him some time before it finally sinks in. _Holy shit_.

Ransom is in love with him.

_Holy shit._

Rans looks at him, waiting for him to say something.

“Holy _shit_ , Rans.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Bro…”

Holster takes a moment to study Ransom, then leans in and kisses him straight on the mouth.

Ransom flails a little, then sinks into it.

They pull back to breathe.

_“Holy shit.”_

_“Yeah, bro.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Lemme know if I made any mistakes! Comments, opinions, and prompts are welcome (mean or rude comments are NOT, be nice)! Find me on tumblr @supergaybee and on twitter @TayTayKristineB


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